Finding Out My Inner Magic
by Janni-Begum
Summary: Artist Heaven Nevaeh is writing a story one night when her window breaks and she comes face to face with Rubeus Hagrid and Pavarti Rose, who tells her that she is a witch and that she is the grand daughter of Harry Potter!
1. Chapter 1: Truth or Lies?

-1**Okay, this might get a little confusing, so I will explain the timeline. It is about fifty years after the downfall of Lord Voldemort (yes Harry defeated him in the end). The school was the location of the final battle and it got destroyed in the process, and so for many, many years, the education of Hogwarts was postponed. But a very _generous_ Lucius Malfoy contributed to the rebuilding of Hogwarts and at the current time, the school is in it's twentieth year after the rebuilding efforts. Harry's story was made into the popular series we know and love today, although Muggles think that it's just works of fiction. Only a few of the canon characters will be mention, some being Hagrid, Neville (who's the Herbology professor), and Arthur Weasley (whose the headmaster of Hogwarts). More of it will be explained further in the story.**

**I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, no matter how much I dream. And Review please!**

- this is based on my hopes and may not happen in the final installment of the actual HP series.

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Chapter One

_It was a dark and clear evening. Jeneva had just come back from the prefect's bathroom and was heading up the stairs to the Ravenclaw Tower when she heard it. Footsteps._

_She ran down the stairs and was shocked to find a bunch of Hufflepuff first years huddled in a corner. She went over to them._

_"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You should be in your common room."_

_"Shhh!" one of them hissed and Jeneva fell silent, listening._

_She could hear voices coming from the direction of the Astronomy Tower. "What the…" she gasped. Flashes of green light were bouncing off the walls and the potions teacher ran with a Slytherin boy Jeneva recognized as Draco Malfoy, one of the Slytherin prefects. _

_The next thing she knew, Harry Potter was racing after them, and he looked livid. Ernie Macmillan stood there next to Jeneva and was trying to ask him a question before Harry pushed him out of the way and ran on. Jeneva looked at Ernie who shrugged and looked just as confunded as she was…_

Heaven yawned. It was about four in the morning and she had not gotten any sleep what so ever. She had been too busy writing her story for a fan fic contest ((Write a Fifty Page Story About a Character Who Witnesses the Events In Any of the _Harry Potter_ Books.)) and she was exhausted. Since starting to write it at three that afternoon, she had barely left her room at all, except to go to the bathroom or find one of her books.

At age eleven, Heaven Nevaeh had already shown signs of being a truly gifted artist. She could paint realistic interpretations of castles and of people with only a description of them. But her family knew her true passion: writing. Since a young age, Heaven had shown a true knack for reading and creating wonderful tales. She had already read a few of Shakespeare's plays including _Hamlet_ and _Romeo and Juliet_. She could pronounce those words that most kids her age would have struggled with. She liked to stay up late on weekends and holidays and write, when her imagination "was at it's best".

She looked at the monitor of her computer. So far she had written over forty pages of her fifty page story and she didn't really know where to go next. Wiggling her fingers on the keyboard, she sighed and looked around her room for inspiration.

Even Heaven's room wasn't like other girls her age. Instead of pictures of her favorite singers and movie stars, Heaven had posters of book lists and of her favorite books that were made in movies. Behind that she had written quotes of certain authors and artists such as Meg Cabot (( "You're not a million dollar bill. Not everyone is going to like you.")) and Leonardo Divinci.

Suddenly, her window shattered. Heaven jumped and reached for something to hit her unknown attacker. What was going on?

She crept towards the window, careful not to step on the glass with her bare feet. She peered out of the window and nearly toppled over with shock. Standing below her two-story window, was unlike any man she had ever seen, but she knew instantly who he was. Twice as large and as tall as any man she had ever seen, Rubeus Hagrid was standing outside her window.

"Hagrid?" she said in some astonishment.

"Oy, how do yeh know my name?" he asked.

"I've read about you," she said eagerly. "You're Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys and grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You were expelled in your third year for a crime you didn't commit. You escorted Harry Potter to Hogwarts and you were the Care of Magical Creatures teacher too!"

He stared blankly up at her.

"I've read the series by J.K. Rowling," she explained.

"Oh, well as you know, I'm Hagrid," he said. "I'm here to take yeh to Hogwarts."

She stared at him. "Hogwarts?" she said faintly. "But I'm not a witch. I can't do all the things you do. I'm an ordinary Muggle."

"Is that so?" he asked. "Have you ever wondered why you can sketch such accurate drawing? That's not any ordinary gift, girl."

"B- Bu-But," she stuttered. "I can't!" she said finally. "I can't be a witch. It's just not real, any of this! I've fallen asleep and just haven't woken up yet."

She pinched herself. "OW!" she said loudly. She looked down and Hagrid looked back up at her expectantly. "Okay, maybe this is real, but how?" she groaned. She began to pace, back and forth. The words "Hagrid" and "can't be" were most distinguishable.

"Listen," Hagrid said after a little of this. "You've got to come to the realization that yeh a witch. Yeh name's been down in the books since birth. And the term starts in two days. Yeh have to get a move on, otherwise you're going to be behind the rest."

Heaven stood there, and then she understood. "Okay."

Hagrid looked surprised. "Okay?"

"Okay," she repeated. "If this was some prank, or I was asleep, I'd be up by now. But I do have one question."

"What's that?"

"I live in America. Hogwarts is for those in the UK. How would I get there?"

"By apparition o' course!" Hagrid acted like it was obvious.

"But you don't know how to apparate or disapperate, do you?"

"No," he admitted. "But a Ministry official is coming. I asked for help me self."

At that moment, Heaven heard a faint POP, and a thin blond woman appeared, dressed in robes of pale green. "Good evening," she said, adjusting her hat, which had gone askew. "You are Miss Nevaeh, I presume."

"Yes," Heaven said politely.

"Have you given her the letter yet?" she asked Hagrid, who looked surprised.

"Not yet," he muttered and looked around in his coat pockets before pulling out a wrinkled yellow envelope and handed it up to Heaven. Heaven read it twice, once because she couldn't believe it and another to confirm her beliefs. But something was different.

"Mr. Weasley's the Headmaster?" she said with some astonishment.

The woman nodded. "He became the headmaster when the school was reopened twenty years ago. Mrs. Weasley was quite pleased, I must say. Are you packed?" she added and Heaven shook her head. There was another small POP, and the woman disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" Heaven asked Hagrid, who pointed behind her.

Heaven turned and there was the woman in her room, surveying it with interest. "Funny room, this one," she said. "Most kids have posters of Orlando Bloom or something like that."

"I don't really watch much television or go to the movies," Heaven admitted.

"Oh, well," the woman said dismissively. She turned to Heaven's closet and with a flick of her wand, most of Heaven's clothes flew into a neat, folded pile on her bed. A trunk appeared and the clothes flew into it, filling half of the trunk. "Is there anything else you'd like to take dear?" she asked Heaven.

Heaven grabbed a stuffed rabbit she received for Easter and a couple of her favorite books and stuffed them in the trunk. She also grabbed a picture and a photo album. "That's it," she said.

The woman nodded and with another waved of her wand, the trunk disappeared. "Now, we've left a note for your parents telling them that you will see them again for Christmas and not to worry. You should send them an owl when you get to Hogwarts, telling them the same."

Heaven nodded and the woman added, "We should get going now. Hagrid is going to meet us at the Leaky Cauldron so we can get you your money and things for school."

"Can you tell me what else has happened?" Heaven asked.

"When we get you settled," the woman promised. She grabbed Heaven's arm, and without saying a word. Heaven looked at her room for a last glance, before she had the sensation of being squeezed through a tube like toothpaste. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in a dimly lit pub, which she recognized as the Leaky Cauldron.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked and Heaven nodded. The woman looked at the bartender and said. "A single's room, if you please Tom."

The man nodded and handed a key to Heaven that had a large number twelve on it. Heaven thanked him before following the woman through the tables and to the back alley where she tapped the brick and the entrance to Diagon Alley was opened up.

It was unlike anything Heaven had ever seen before. Now she knew why Harry had wanted several pairs of eyes, it was very hard to take everything in at once. There was the pet shop, the place where Harry had gotten his firebolt, the ice cream parlor, and even Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

"First, let's get you your money," the woman said in Heaven's ear. Heaven barely heard her because it was so crowded.

After going to Gringotts, they went to Flourish and Blott's, where Heaven got her school books and a few selected ones with permission. Then they got her robes from Madam Malkin's and her potion ingredients. Finally, it was time for her wand.

Down at Ollivander's, there was a customer already there, so she looked around at all of the posters describing the types of wands they sold.

"May I help you dear?"

Heaven jumped and turned around. A older woman was looking down at her with interest.

"Um, yes ma'am. I'm here to buy my wand," Heaven said nervously.

"Good! Good! Come this way child," the woman seemed excited and Heaven followed her, perplexed.

The woman shifted a few boxes on the shelf and took one down and handed it to Heaven. "Try this one, holly and dragon heartstring. Fifteen and a half inches. Whippy."

Heaven waved it, but nothing happened.

"Let's try this one."

They went through what seemed to Heaven to be half the entire store. "Not to worry dear," the old woman said. "It's hard to find the right wand for some people. Let's try this one. 11 2/3", Oak, hair from a Veela, I think."

Heaven held the wand and felt a warmth sweep through her right arm and brought it down with a swish. A shower of gold sparks erupted from the wand and the older woman clapped enthusiastically. "Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

Heaven paid for her wand and left to find the witch in the green robes waiting for her. "Got your wand?" she asked and Heaven nodded. "Good. Now would you like to buy a pet?"

Heaven thought for a minute. "Yes please," she said politely.

They went to the Magical Menagerie which smelled like a farm Heaven went to once. She looked around for awhile before she decided on a black kitten, which she dubbed Hermione. Smiling slightly, she paid for the kitten and went outside into the warm sun.

When she got unpacked in her room, she met the woman back in the bar room where they chose a quite corner to eat some brunch. Heaven was tired, but she was too excited to go to sleep.

"First off, my name is Pavarti Rose. My mother Pavarti Patel, who you very well had probably read about."

"Yes," Heaven said.

"Well, Harry Potter, did manage to defeat Lord Voldemort and there was great jubilation. But Hogwarts was destroyed."

"Why?" Heaven asked.

"Well, Harry and Voldemort's battle took place at Hogwarts and somehow the castle was destroyed. Hogwarts was no more. For thirty years, the place was a ruin until Lucius Malfoy made a contribution for the rebuilding of the school. It was rebuilt and for twenty years now, Hogwarts has been it's former glory, with Arthur Weasley as the Headmaster.

"Now after the downfall of Lord Voldemort, Harry was free to live his life anyway he wanted. He started going back out with Ginny Weasley and nine years later, he married Ginny in a joint wedding ceremony. The other couple was his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Two years later, Ginny gave birth to a baby girl they named Lily, in honor of Harry's mother.

"Most recently, one day short of his sixty eighth birthday, Harry Potter died. He was buried next to his parent's in Godric's Hollow. He died slightly broken hearted. You see, at the age of twenty six, Lily Potter got married to her school sweetheart, who was the son of Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. At twenty eight, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Two days later, she died. Harry was heartbroken."

"But why are you telling me this?" Heaven asked.

Pavarti sighed. "You know you are adopted?"

"Yes," Heaven said. "I was adopted at the age of two. My adopted parents later told me that the orphanage said that my mom died giving birth to me and my dad soon died in a car accident."

"That's true," Pavarti said. "But what they didn't know is that your mom is Lily Potter Longbottom. You are the granddaughter of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley."


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorting Hat's Decision

-1**Here's Chapter Two. Please Review **

Chapter Two

Early on September 1st, Heaven was wide awake even before Tom brought her morning tea up to her.

She was still finding it difficult to fathom that she was the granddaughter of the man that she had grown up admiring. Sure, she had dreamed of this world being real, but she never fathomed that it was true. And that she was a relation to Harry Potter, one of the most famous wizards in the world. None of her friends at home would believe her.

When it was time to go, she was ready. Her trunk was packed, and Hermione (or Hermy for short) was in her cage, and Heaven was with both down at the foot of the stairs. Pavarti greeted her at eight on the dot.

After finding out her heritage, she asked whether or not she should tell people her name was Nevaeh or Longbottom. She thought about it for a moment, before saying it was best to be honest and to tell them Longbottom Nevaeh and answer any questions they'd have as best she could. Heaven nodded, and felt that it would be weird to say that, even though it was true.

Pavarti took her trunk- which was heavy in Heaven's opinion- and set it on a cart she conjured out of thin air and put Hermy's cage on top of it. They wheeled it outside and down the street (there was a strike going on and the subway was out of commission)). At 10:45, they arrived at King's Cross and hurried to Platforms 9 and 10. They leaned casually across the barrier and slid through it and onto Platform 9 ¾.

For what seemed like the billionth time those past few days, Heaven was speechless. There were so many students with their parents and their pets and you could hardly hear over the squabbling that all of them combined made.

Pavarti turned to her. "Now listen Heaven. I want you to have a good time and behave. Don't act like Harry and go looking for trouble."

"He never went looking for trouble. Trouble usually found him," Heaven laughed.

"I mean it. Don't get into any trouble. Professor Weasley will inform me of any thing that you do."

"Yes ma'am," Heaven sprung into a mock salute.

The warning whistle blew and parents began to hurry their children on, while trying to get last minute hugs and kisses. Pavarti gave Heaven a hug and then pushed her onto the train. "Write to your parents!" she said as the train began to move.

"Which ones?" Heaven laughed and pulled her head in from the window.

Once the train started to move at a steady pace, Heaven dragged her stuff down the hallways, trying to find a compartment to sit in. A few of the kids in the compartments she went to gaped at her.

Well, what did they expect? Heaven was one that you would gape at. That day, she had just worn her usual Muggle clothing, which was a pair of black baggy pants with a black shirt that read 'Bite Me' and a pair of those shoes that look like they'd hurt your feet but really don't with white-out daisies painted on them. And she had her red hair enhanced which made the usual shocking redness even more red. It was looking at the sun without any protection.

Most of them were full and a few were filled with quite nasty Slytherins. Chuckling quietly to herself, Heaven moved on until she found a compartment with only one girl in it.

"May I join you?" she asked.

The girl looked up. She seemed to be a first year like Heaven, only not as nervous. She had long hair that was a mix of blond and brown, what some would call dishwater blond. Her eyes were a shade of blue that was somewhat shocking on that sweet of a face. Slowly, she nodded.

"Thanks," Heaven said and she sat down. It was after she sat down that she noticed what the girl was reading. It was a copy of _The Quibbler_. "Who's the editor of that?" she asked curiously.

"Luna Lovegood," the girl said in a silky voice. "She's also the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. I'm her granddaughter, Reba. Longbottom. "

"I'm Heaven. Heaven- Longbottom Nevaeh." Heaven said, just then realizing how weird it was that they both shared the same last name.

The girl seemed to notice. She raised her eyebrows. "How's that?" she asked.

"My dad's the son of Neville Longbottom. He died not so long after I was born and I was raised in an orphanage. I got adopted at the age of two."

"Oh, you're Lily's daughter. She died before I was born," Reba said. "Grandmamma was upset. She liked your mother a lot. She even wanted to raise you but someone said not too."

"Really?" Heaven asked.

"Yeah, she was really mad too."….

For the rest of the train ride, Heaven and Reba talked about their family history. Reba told her that she had never been to Hogwarts, even though both her parents had lived there, teaching until they disappear a few years ago when she was four. Her grandparents had made it important that their semesters did not follow each others so that at least one would be with her while the other one worked. They were interrupted by the food trolley and they got some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Heaven loved the buttered popcorn ones.

When the train slowed to a stop at the Hogsmeade Station, Heaven and Reba stepped off the train together. They made their way through the crowd towards Hagrid who was calling, "First years! Over here first years!"

"Wow!" Reba exclaimed when they reached Hagrid.

"Hiya Hagrid!" Heaven shouted.

"Move a long there Heaven!" Hagrid shouted.

They sail across the lake on the tiny boats (Heaven was ecstatic by this point). They trooped up the stairs, where a older woman greeted them. She looked like McGonagall, except younger and with fiery red hair.

"The first years Professor Giordano," Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid," Giordano said. "This way first years."

She led them off the entrance hall and into a huge room that was covered in greenery. "This is the Divinations classroom," Giordano explained. "Professor Fireze would appreciate if you would not mess it up too much."

Several of the students sat down on the soft grass while others talked in whispers. "I heard from my brother that we have to face a troll," one girl said. Heaven snorted. She knew, or thought she knew, what was coming and she was starting to get a little antsy.

What house would she be sorted into? She didn't think that she was best for Gryffindor, even considering her family history. Slytherin was out of the question, she was to nice for that. Possibly Hufflepuff, but her best bet would be Ravenclaw. She was smart, of that she was sure. But was that good enough?

"Come along now." Professor Giordano was back. The first years all got up and followed her out of the room and towards the vast doors of the great hall. They followed her in precession between the four tables before they reached the t7eacher's table. The first years all stopped when they reached the three legged stool on which the sorting hat was perched on top of it. Everyone stared expectantly and Heaven saw the rim move before it broke out in song:

"**Why hello there little ickles**

**Listen closely to me  
Devised by the founders I happen to be!**

**I see the time has come once more  
To start the year off right  
But there's one thing to do before  
On your rooms you can lay sight.**

**Won't you come and sit beneath me?  
We'll talk of things inside your heads  
And find out where to put thee.**

**  
For which house will be yours to cheer  
Is the question indeed  
On the minds of all the first years  
And my decision you must heed**

**Perhaps your future lies with Slytherin?  
With determination you'll accomplish your goals  
You should be ambitious and cunning  
Aim for the stars. You can't afford follies**

**Slytherin's the house for those with ambition.  
It's where the power-hungry thrive.  
They will use any means within their grasp,  
But they'll reach the goal for which they strive.**

**Or perhaps amongst the Hufflepuffs,  
With loyalty steadfast and true.  
Kind Helga was always heard to opine  
That friendship could see you through.  
**

**Dear Helga Hufflepuff with open heart,  
whose diligence and industry set her apart  
Would gladly welcome you into her fold  
Where dwell the hardworking and kind as of old.**

**Should you go with Ravenclaw?  
Where wisdom is the norm,  
To Rowena's tower climb,  
To rules and books conform.**

**Ravenclaw is for the scholarly:  
Those that hide their noses in a text.  
But when they're backs' are against the wall,  
They'll think of something clever to do next.**

**Not satisfied with books and learning?  
Gryffindor's demands are bravery and courage  
If adventures and action are what you're yearning  
There, adventures you'll be welcome to forage.**

**  
Great Godric Gryffindor, daring and wise  
Bravery not weakness; truth not lies  
A noble heart and brave soul, this is where you belong  
you'll fit in the Gryffindor throng.**

**Place me upon your head  
I worry not about your name  
I will see if you'll fit right in  
With the house that's been called insane**

**Once a year I grace the hall  
With song and wisdom grand  
Everyone has a jolly ball  
But I need a helping hand.**

**But no matter where you're sorted  
Take solace in the fact that  
You're all a family here at Hogwarts  
And I'm just a humble hat.**

The hat went silent and everyone applauded. "Now when I call your name, I want you to come up here and sit on the stool and wait to be sorted by the hat. Aberforth, Alex!"

A scared mousy looking boy stepped forward and sat down on the stool. The hat was barely place upon his head when the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" The second table on the right applauded and Alex went to go join them.

The list went on. Hannah Bristol went to Hufflepuff and her twin brother went to Slytherin. There were cat calls from the Gryffindor table when he sat down.

"Coachman, Jake"… "Finnegan, Ramada"… "Heavens, Harry"… then…

"Longbottom, Rebekah!"

Reba walked up to the stool. Heaven could see Professor Longbottom and Professor Lovegood sit up straighter. The Sorting Hat took a little bit longer for Reba than some of the others. Then…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Her grandparents clapped enthusiastically as Reba jumped off the stool and headed to the table on the far right. On the way, she gave Heaven a thumbs up.

Heaven thought they must have her down by Nevaeh, because they didn't call her before or after Reba was sorted. She had to wait till after Necessary, Kristina was sorted into Slytherin before she heard, "Nevaeh/Longbottom, Heaven!"

Slowly, she walked up to the stool. She sat down and she got a view of Reba crossing her fingers before the hat was place upon her head and she could only see black and red, the red coming from her own hair.

"Let's see now," a voice said in her ear. "Good family ties I see. Yes, very good indeed. Smart and very studious. And very artistic. You'd like to go and sketch the giant squid rather than go looking for trouble. But I don't think Ravenclaw would be right for you."

_What? _Heaven thought. _Will I go to Hufflepuff then?_

"You prove my point right there. You forgot that I know your every thought. Apparently you need to read the books again, Miss Nevaeh. And you wouldn't do go in Hufflepuff either. Let me see…you've got a sense of justice, and you'll try to leave quarrels in the hands of somebody else, rather than get involved yourself. Then of course, you're quite a benevolent girl. You want to help other people - give them a better life than you had. This says Hufflepuff very strongly. But as I said, you wouldn't do well in Hufflepuff. But...really, you could go in either. I know just the house for you. Miss Nevaeh, you'd be best in the house of the daring and wise. You belong in GRYFFINDOR! "

The last words were shouted to the hall. After she removed the hat, I could see and hear again and I could hear Reba cheering for me from the Gryffindor table. I jumped down and headed for the table on the far right.

"Excellent!" Reba said, thumping Heaven's back enthusiastically. Heaven just grinned and looked back at the head table where the last of the first year were being sorted. When finally "Zaxby, Thomas" was sorted into Gryffindor, Professor Weasley (it was so strange to call him that) stood up and it went silent.

"Welcome to all of our new comers and to our old comers, welcome back! There are a few announcements, but this is not the time. Dig in!"

And like that, the plates in front of them were filled with food.

As they all bit of everything, (Heaven was a vegetarian so she didn't get any of the steak), they all told a little about themselves. For some, it was simple.

"I've grown up in Bristol all my life," said Catalina Foster. " My mum's a Muggle. She knew my dad for years and years but never knew he was a wizard."

"What about you Heaven?" one boy asked.

"Oh!" Heaven was shocked to be asked her opinion. "Well, I was adopted from the age of two by some nice Muggles in America. We lived in Mississippi for about eight years until just recently, when we moved to New York to get away from the horrible hurricanes that happen during the summer. I was writing some fan-fic when something broke my window. It turned out to be Rubeus Hagrid to tell me I had been accepted to Hogwarts."

A few looked confused. "Fan-fic?"

"Fan Fiction," she explained. "It's where a reader if they like a particular series or book, they write their own version of things. I was writing a fan fiction story for a contest I wanted to enter."

"What was the topic?" Reba asked.

"Write a Fifty Page Story About a Character Who Witnesses the Events In Any of the _Harry Potter_ Books." Heaven said. "I was writing about a girl named Jeneva who was a prefect and came across some Hufflepuff students who had heard spells going off. It was part of the sixth book in the Harry Potter series."

They stared blankly at her. "I like to write and draw stuff," She said quietly.

"Do you have any of your pictures?" Catalina asked.

"Yeah," She said a little taken aback. She opened her backpack and pulled out a small picture she had made when she was younger. It was of a seascape of the Gulf Coast before a hurricane had messed it up. Heaven passed it around.

There was a chorus of "Wow's" as the first years looked at the picture. Heaven took it back, a little embarrassed. "It's not much," she said. "I'm only a beginner."

Down the table, a few of the third years were playing around by flicked mashed potatoes across to each other using their spoons. One of the boys, a hottie by the looks of it, with curly brown hair and startling green eyes, missed and it hit Reba in the face.

"Watch it!" Heaven said angrily down the table and the boy grinned sheepishly and flicked a large amount back at Heaven, which hit her in the face. Her face hot, she wiped the mashed potatoes off her face and threw a venomous look at the boy, who was now talking to a friend of his.

When the main courses were done, the desserts appeared and they all dug into all sorts of ice cream and cakes. Heaven in particular, took a few slices of strawberry cheesecake and pecan pie. Afterwards, those dishes too soon disappeared. And Professor Weasley stood up and the hall went silent again.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'VE HAD TOO MUCH PEPSI! Translation: Read and Review


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Sorry for the long wait. I had to play with my Christmas presents for awhile. R&R please. And this is going to be in first person for this chapter. Tell me if you prefer this way.**

Chapter Three

"Now that we are well fed and rested, let's get the announcements out of the way," Professor Weasley said to the now silent crowd. I noticed that he never looked like I though he would. His hair was short (so unlike Dumbledore's) and you could totally see some of the red in it, which kind of surprised me because he was probably in his eighties or something.

"First years are reminded that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits. I need not remind some of the older students that they should follow this advice as well." He shot a particularly meaningful look at the third year who had thrown the mashed potatoes at me and Reba. I bet he'd be real friendly with some of the centaurs over there.

"Also, those who are wanting to try out for their house Quidditch team can turn their name into their head of house. The rule that first years can not play has been lifted due to some first year showing…er… incredible talent."

At this I grinned remembering who he was talking about.

He continued, " Club Rush will start tomorrow morning. Students wanting to participate in the various clubs, teams, etc. are reminded that there will be an incredible strain with the emphasis of schoolwork and having too many after-hours projects will probably hurt you. Miss Wellpoint1 does not need any more students coming into the Hospital Wing because you had a mental breakdown.

" And now before we go, let's end this day with the school song! Pick a tune and off we go!"

I froze. Singing? I can't sing to save my life. I don't even know the words to the song because I never really paid attention to it before.

Everyone else, however, started singing:

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something, please,   
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,   
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot. _

Everybody finished at different times. Finally, Reba and me were singing some sort of opera duet. I had decided to just imitate her, because I can't sing to save my life. Professor Weasley smiled warmly when we finish.

"Besides laughter, music is probably the best medicine in the world. Off you go!"

We all stood up and I looked around to see if anybody knew where to go. Hey, I know the books like the back of my hand, and except for the singing part, I had it practically memorized. But Reba just grabbed my hand and said, "Come on."

We followed the small group of people heading out into the entrance hall and headed up the staircase. We ran into the Gryffindor prefect who was leading the other Gryffindors to the common room. I started to feel tired and wondered how long it would be before I could go get some sleep.

We finally reached a portrait, but it wasn't the Fat Lady. Instead, there was a young woman in a white ball gown, a tiara in her hair. I nudged Reba in the ribs.

"What happened to the Fat Lady?" I asked.

"I heard that she decided to retire and now she resides next to her friend Violet," she whispered back.

I raised my eyebrows. "I didn't know they could retire," I told her.

"Oh yeah," she said. "After a few hundred or so years, portraits can decide whether or not they want to stay as the portrait hole guard."

We watched the prefect. She had to rap hard on the edge of the portrait's frame, because the woman was giggling at the boys and batting her eyelashes. She finally turned to the prefect, who was a girl.

"What?" she asked.

"Password's Oracle Bell," the prefect said.

The woman bowed and swung open to let us in. We all clamored in (I needed a little help). My mouth fell open. The common room was so _big_. It was like how J.K. Rowling described in the book. Only it was… different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was different somehow. I was looking around trying to figure out what was different, and I didn't hear what the prefect was saying. It was only when Reba nudged me, did I pay any attention.

"You will find that your stuff is already up there," she concluded. "Any questions?" No one did, so she let us go.

We went up the spiral staircases to a room with a brass plate that said : FIRST YEARS. I found my stuff-even my duffle bag was there- by a window overlooking the school grounds. Three girls soon came in with us. We all introduced ourselves and then we got ready for bed.

As I snuggled into my bed, I wondered how my family was taking it. I'd have to send an owl in the morning. It worried me for about two whole minutes and then I turned over and fell asleep.

----------------------

In the morning, after I had gotten dress and sent my letter with a tawny owl, I headed down to the Great Hall. Reba was already there, eating French toast. She nodded to me in greeting because her mouth was full of food. I sat across from her and immediately reached for the oatmeal.

At nine, our head of house, ironically enough Professor Neville Longbottom, handed out schedules. He didn't even look at me. It kind of made me mad, especially since he smiled at Reba and let her give him a kiss on the cheek.

I knew that he didn't think he'd ever see me, but at least he could show some sort of recognition. I ignored this obvious factor and looked down at my schedule. First was History of Magic. Then I had Double Charms before lunch.

"Excellent!" Reba said, taking my schedule. "We've got the same classes!" She didn't seem to have noticed my dark mood after our grandfather passed us up.

"C'mon," I said, picking up my bag and heading towards the double doors.

Once in the History classroom, we took seats near the front. A man with white short white hair and beard was in the corner, drinking hot chocolate. When everybody came in, he started the lesson.

"Greetings," he placed the mug down on his desk and tipped his hat, revealing a shiny bald spot. "Welcome to First Year History of Magic. I am your professor, Mr. Dervish. You may call me Professor Dervish, Mr. Dervish, Mr. D... but never 'Hey mister!'. Comprende? Yes? Good."  
I stifled a laugh. He looked in my direction before continuing.

"Your textbook is 'A History of Magic,' by Bathilda Bagshott. For a little extra light reading, I can recommend 'The Encyclopedia of Wizardry', by Lex E. Conners."

I saw out of the corner of my eye, Reba scribbling this down. I made a note to ask her for the list later.

"This being your first year, it seems only sensible to begin with something nice and simple... something that has a lot to do with your world. For that reason, the curriculum requests that you begin with learning the history of your school. Our first lesson is to study our school motto, and it's relevance to us."

I looked at him. _Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus_ meant 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon'. Mr. D pointed to a Ravenclaw boy who prompted in answering the question.

"Jolly good. Thank you very much. Now, never tickle a sleeping dragon. Very good motto. Beware students, because if you leave the doors of Hogwarts and go tickling any sleeping dragons... if you are so insensible as to do that..."

A kid in the back said something about it eating us up. I laughed that time. Even Mr. D laughed before continuing.

"Aye, aye... laugh while you can - you're not afraid. Why should you be? After all, dragons are hardly plentiful in this day and age; certainly, there are none around Hogwarts. Why, they aren't even native to this area! So why on earth would we have such a silly and irrelevant motto? How about you?" he said to me.

"Um," I said, a little taken aback. I usually didn't get called upon in class. "It's because the motto is a metaphor - something which says one thing, but actually has a hidden meaning to be something else. The dragon symbolizes terrible danger. It quite clearly could consume you, burn you, destroy you, if it were awake. However, it isn't. It's sleeping, and quite harmless. But if it woke - the very least that could happen is that it might remain sleeping, but sneeze out a wave of fire to destroy you instead. "

"Correct." He addressed the class again. "Tickling, taunting, teasing - how utterly idiotic. 'Why hello, Mr. Dragon. You, dangerous? Pshaw. I'm not afraid. TICKLE!' And what happens? The dragon wakes up. The danger is very much present, and all hell breaks loose.

""So what our motto in fact means is 'Don't perform any boastful or meaningless action that could get you killed.' Would anybody like to take a small crack at guessing what sort of actions might be included?" He asked the class at large.

I raised my hand. "Yes?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Would it be along the lines of death eaters?" I asked in a small voice.

He peered down at me from behind his glasses. "And what do you know about death eaters, Miss…. Nevaeh?"

I gulped. "Um, well… death eaters are, or were, the servants of the Dark Lord. They do the bidding of him and claim to be the closest to him, although Voldemort never was really close to anybody. After his first downfall, most were put into Azkaban while some evaded capture, claiming they were put under the Imperius curse."

Everybody just stared at me. I looked around cautiously. "I've read about them," I said, faintly.

"Well, you are correct again in any case. Ten points to Gryffindor." Mr. D addressed the rest of the class again. "Death eaters! That pack of rats seem to consider it amusing to attack us every so often, and it might shock some of you to know that in recent years, young students... students who haven't even completed a year of Defense Against the Dark Arts... decide to go running out to find the death eaters BY THEMSELVES! Gripping their cherry wood wands, determined that their ickle knockback jinx shall ruin the helpless death eater. How absolutely LUDICROUS!"

We all jumped. He seemed to calm down some before he continued.

""I cannot stress to you how ridiculous that sort of action is - how powerful the dragon is that those children were attempting to tickle. Even a powerful man like Professor Dumbledore might in fact be miniscule next to an unknown quantity... ah, and there my friends, there we come to what History can grant you.  
"An unknown quantity is when you simply do not know what to expect, or what the effects of your action will be. Say, for example, that a group of aurors are about to bust into a shop that stocks implements of the Dark Arts. Now, a silly auror would simply rush in there, knowing nothing about what to expect, but simply wanting to get it over with as soon as possible, with as much credit to themselves. The smart auror would examine records from the shop trading, question people about what they have seen - yes, they need to hurry with the bust, but not so much that they neglect to do their homework. Not so fast that they don't know twenty men were seen heading into the shop in the past hour, their faces twisted into scowls. Certainly, just a tiny scrap of short-term history like that could be an advantage.

"Now, take that into a larger perspective. Say you want to know more about death eaters specifically. You'd want to know their abilities, obviously. What they are likely to use against you. You might study past wars, study known death eaters such as Tom Riddle. You might study their friends, where they were schooled, where they traveled. Know to the best of your ability what it would take to overcome such an evil force. The greater scheme of History is to teach information from the past to help us with our future.  
"Of course, if you want to study things like that," he shrugged, "You'll have to go and visit the library. For this year, what we study is the lives of the four founders, and how to take pride in your own house. To learn what binds you together. You are here to prepare yourself for the future by understanding. Understand the past, understand the future, understand the people. It's as simple as that."

He took a swig from his mug before concluding. "Since I am so kind, I will not give you homework this week. Now go gather your things, and go off to chase death eaters, or whatever it is you like to do with your spare time."

Everybody gathered their stuff. I was about to leave when Mr. D said over the crowd. "Miss Nevaeh a word please."

I shot a glance at Reba who shrugged and pointed to her watch. "Go on," I said.

" I'm very pleased," Mr. D told me at his desk. "Not all of my first years could have answered that question. Either they're too scared or just lazy, I don't know. But keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir," I said. "But all I did was read the series by J.K. Rowling about Harry Potter."

"Ah, yes," he nodded understandingly. " The one set of books that proves to muggles that we exist and they still don't know. That's all Miss Nevaeh. Let me write you a pass."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in Charms learning about levitation charms. After letting us practice for a good par of the lesson, Professor McAmis assigned us to practice the charm for homework before dismissing us to lunch.

At flying, we didn't touch a broom. The teacher, by the name Rachel Moscivitz, asked us to tell about ourselves and to tell of our previous flying experience. After that, we were dismissed.

At half past three, I was glad class was over. I was exhausted and we still had homework to do. After that, I laid in front of the fire in the common room, close enough to heat but not to get burned.

Overall, it had been a good day.

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**And now I shall get me some sleep from writing all of this at three in the morning. Adios Amigos!**

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